Shaft-bearing centralizer.



E. J. TAYLOR.

SHAFT BEARING CENTRALIZER. APPLICATION FILED FEB.2 8,l9l6.

1 ,246, 1 81 I Patented NOV. 13, 1917,

I If 67 I F .1.

I??? m 60 J2 PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST J. TAYLOR, 0F NEEDHAM HEIGHTS, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHAFT-BEARING CENTRALIZER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 191 '7.-

Application filed- February 28, 1916. Serial No. 80,805.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST J. TAYLOR, a citizen of. the United States, residin at Needham Heights, in the county of orfolk and .State of Massachusetts, have in-' vented new and useful Improvements in ShaftBearing Centralizers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for centralizing shaftsin bearings or more particularly in the-inner sleeve or raceway of a roller or ball bearing. In setting up a roller or ball bearing about a shaft, it is desirable that the inner sleeve or raceway of said bearing be attached firmly to the shaft, and also be located ex actly central relatively thereto in order to prevent noise or vibration.

Furthermore, the sleeve must be so mounted on said shaft as to eliminate any distortion thereof which would, if permitted to exist, cause certain rollers of the bearings to be exposed to greater wear thanothers. Then again, the sleeve or inner raceway must retain its intended diameter to prevent any play between said inner race and said outer race of the bearing which, if permitted to exist, would in tlme crystallize the metal from which the shaft is made and likewise parts of thebearing, to say nothing of the loss or at least the interference with the smooth running of the rollers of said bearing.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, compact and durable device adapted to positively centralize the inner sleeve or raceway of the bearing and to secure the same in such relation without distorting said inner raceway and irrespective, within certain limits, of the diameter of the shaft to which the raceway or sleeve is to be attached.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character hereinbefore set forth, which is particularly adapted to be a plied to line shafting and may be applie to any part of the shaftin without necessitating the taking down t ereof 'or the disconnecting of said shaft from bearings on either side of the ortion or location to which the particular earing in question is to be located.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following s eeification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

' Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a bearing embodying my invention, portions of said bearmg at the right hand end of said figure being shown in elevation to more clearly illustrate certain features thereof.

Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the bearing sleeve, illustratin the novel manner in which the sleeve is spllt longitudinally.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3.-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawings.

In the drawings 5 is a shaft and 6 a sleeve which, in the resent embodiment, constitutes the inner earing member or raceway of a roller bearing, the rollers 7 being shown in contact w1th said sleeve, while the outer raceway of said bearing is shown in part at 8. The sleeve 6 is 1'0- vided with a bore 9 of slightly larger diameter than that of the largest shaft which may be used in connection with the same, thus providin irregularities or unevenness in said shaft.

To compensate for the difference between the diameter of the shaft 5 and the bore of the sleeve 6, tapered members 10 are provided, said tapered members preferably consisting of two sets 11- and 12 of segmental wedges as indicated at 10, each set preferably consisting of four each, ar-

an annular space between i said shaft an said sleeve to allow for any ranged about the shaft 5 with clearance 13 I provided between the several members thereof. The inner bore 14 of each set of wedges may correspond if desired to the part cular shaft to which the same may be apphed, although this is not absolutely essentia The outer surfaces 15 of said segmental members 10 are tapered or inclined surfaces, and these surfaces are adapted to engage correspondin ly tapered portions 16 an 17 respectively formed at o I posite endsof the bore 9 of the sleeve 6, t e thin portions of the wedges being disposed toward each other so as to require the movements of said sets of wedges toward each other in order to securely and positively position the sleeve with respect to the shaft.

To assist in assembling the ,segmental wedges 10 about the shaft and to properly aline the same relatively to each other, an annular groove 18- is provided in the larger end of each set of wedges and within said annular groove is placed a split spring ring 19, the interruption or s lit 20 of said ring being disposed preferab y between the clearancespaces 13, as will be seen in Fig. 4.

The ring 19 is of sufiicient strength to retain the wedges of each set firmly against the shaft but permitting them to be moved longitudinally thereof. A collar 21 is arranged upon said shaft, one against each of the outer or thick ends of the sets of wedges 11 and 12, saidcollars being constructed and arranged to be clamped or secured to the shaft when desired, in order to maintain said wedges in 'the desired positions with r ect to the sleeve.

he preferred manner of securin said collar to the shaft 5 preferably consists in splitting said collars at 22'su'bstantiall in halves, the abutting faces of the mem ers of said collar havin tongues and grooves 23 and 24 respective y, for the purpose of properl alining the o posite faces of the two ha ves of said col ars with respect to each other. Bolts 25 extend from one portion of the'collar 21 to the other and are adapted to firmly secure said portion together to clamp the collar to the shaft, clearance bein allowed between the two portions of sa1d co ar order to compensate for any shght variations in the diameter of the shafts which are to be inserted in the bearlon itudinally of t e sleeve.

outside of the zone of said bearin he lines 26 referred to continue in a straight line as at 27 and parallel with the median axial line of said sleeve from the left hand end, see Fig. 2, to a point 28 just which contacts with the rollers 7. From t e point 28 the s litextends at an an 1e to the straight 'ne 7 to a point 29 Sir tantially midwa between the point 28 and the center of the ring. I

The inclination of the split is reversed from the point '29 to the center of said bearing, as indicated at 30; thence circumferentially of said bearing alon the center line thereof, as indicated at 31 or a short dis tance to provide an abutment, whereby the two sections of the bearing ma be properly positioned with respect to eac though the corresponding faces along the irregular lines 26 are not in contact with each other.

From the line-31 the line 26 extends preferably parallel with the line 29 to 30 to a point 32 which is substantially midway between the straight portion 31 or the center of the bearing and the opposite edge of the race of the sleeve 6, from that indicated by the oint 28. From the point 32 the irregular ine extends in a direction substantially parallel to the line 28 and'29 to a point 33 at the edge of said race and along the line 34 coinciding with the line 27 at the oppo site end'of the sleeve.

The line representing the split for the opposite side of the bearing as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 is preferably formed in the same manner and coincides with the one just described, thereby requiring only one pattern equivalent to onehalf of the sleeve in the construction of said sleeve, the upper part 35 of said sleeve being an exact counterpart to the lower part 36 thereof, while the oints of said two parts within the range of the rollers 7 will be split so as to insure the smooth running of said rollers thereacross.

. It is essential that the two members 35 and 36 of the sleeve be secured tightly together when the same is in operation in order that the rollers may not be cramped and that no binding of the rollers between the roller races take lace. To insure such the sleeve 6 is externally tapered and provided with screw threads 37 at opposite ends thereof adapted to be engaged by collars 38 having correspondingly tapered and threaded bores 39 which collars may be screwed upon saidtapered ends until the two sections of said sleeve are firmly bound together.

The collars 38- are also split collars, the same being provided with tongues 40 .constructed and arranged to fit into recesses 41 and be held in such relation by studs 42 which extend -transversely of said tongues.

other, even through the two sections of said collars and I are held in place therein by cotter pins 43, thus roviding a construction which may be readi y disconnected to allow the collars to be taken off or applied to a shaft, one of the pins constituting .a hinge, permitting the two sections of said collar to be swung thereon after the other of said pins has been with drawn.

Each set of the tapered segmental members 10 referably consists, as hereinbefore stated, 0 .four members, so as to more readily conform to the shafts of varying diameter.

the size of shafting, to exactly conform to the tapered ortions of the sleeve in order to prevent istortion of said sleeve when pressure is a plied tosaid wedges.

These we ges are, however, made strong enough so as to -permit them to engage the shafts of different sizes to exactly conform to said shaft. The shortness of the segments circumferentially facilitate the conforming.

of the sets of wedges to the shafts to whic they are clamped.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

1; A device of the class described having,

in combination, a shaft, a sleeve surround in'g. said shaft, tapered members interposed between opposite ends of said sleeve and said shaft, and means constructed and arranged to move said vtapered members lengthwise of said shaft to centralize said sleeve'thereon.

2. A device of the class described having, in combination, a shaft, a sleeve surrounding said-shaft, opposite ends of the bore of said sleeve being tapered, tapered members interposed between said s aft and the tapered portions of said sleeve, and means constructed and arranged to move said tapered members lengthwise ofsaid shaft to centralize said sleeve thereon.

3. A deviceof the class described having, in combination, a shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft, opposite ends of the bore of said sleeve beingtapered, a set of segmental wedges interposed between each tapered portion of said sleeve and the adjacent portions of said shaft, and means constructed and arranged to move said segmental wedges lengthwise of said shaft to position said sleeve with respect thereto.

4. A device of the class described, having, in combination, a shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft, opposite ends of the bore f said sleeve being tapered, a set of segmental wedges terposed between each tapered portion of said sleeve and the adjacent p0rtions of said shaft, means constructed and arranged to aline the segmental wedges of the respective 'sets, and means constructed and arranged to move said sets of segmental wedges lengthwise of said shaft to position said sleeve with respect to said shaft.

5. A device of the class described having, in combination, a shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft, opposite ends of the bore of said sleeve being tapered, a set of se mental wedges interposed between eac tapered portion ofsaid sleeve and the adjacent portions of said shaft, each of said wedges having a groove in its periphery adapted to aline with the grooves of the The'outer surfaces of said wedgeslines extending other wedges of said set, a sprin ring ada ted to encircle the wedges of eac set wt in said grooves to retain sald'wedges in proper relation on said shaft, and means constructed and arranged to position said sets of wedges with respect to said sleeve.

6. A device of the class described having, in combination, a shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft, tapered members interposed between opposite ends of said sleeve and the I I tudinally into two substantially simi ar members, means for securing said members together, and means for positioning said sleeve on said shaft.

, 8. A device of the class described having, in combination, a shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft, said sleeve being separated longitudinall along irregular lines into two substantia 1y similar members, means for securing said members together, and means for positioning'said sleeve on said shaft.

9. In a device of the class described a sleeve, consisting of two substantially identical members separated alon irregular longitudinally 51 'posite ends 0 said sleevebein tapered, screw threads formed upon sald tapered ends, and split collars having screw threads upon them inner surfaces constructed and arranged to engage the screw threads, at each of the ends of said sleeve adapted to secure the two members of said sleeve together. i 10. A device of the class described having, in combination, a shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft, said sleeve having a bore substantially larger in diameter than said shaft, opposite ends of said bore being tapered, and a set of segmental wedges arranged at each end of said sleeve intermediate of said tapered portions and the adjacent ortions' tapered portions and the adjacent portions of said shaft, adapted to centralize said sleeve on said shaft, and a split collar adjustably secured to said shaft in contact with each of said sets of segmental wedges, said collars being constructed and arranged to ereof, op-

hold said sets of Wedges in position with respect to said sleeve.

12. A device of the'class described having, in combination, a shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft, :1 set of segmental v wedges interposed between each end of said 10 and maintain in alinement the wedges conan. i messes my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 15 nesses.

ERNEST J. TAYLOR. Witnesses:

CHARLES S. Goonme, SYDNEY E. TAIT. 

